Spousal support calculator

Because there is no automatic right to spousal support. A claim must be compensatory (one spouse’s economic position was disadvantaged by the roles adopted during the relationship), non-compensatory (the relationship created an interdependency and its breakdown leaves one spouse in need), or contractual. Two spouses who both worked full time throughout a short marriage with no children frequently produce no entitlement at all — and the Guidelines are never reached.

The "without child support" formula from the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines. It applies where no dependent children are involved. Where child support is also payable, the far more complex "with child support" formula applies instead, working from net disposable income after child support — that cannot meaningfully be approximated here.

No. They are advisory, not legislation. But they are used routinely by courts and counsel across Canada, and a figure well outside the range needs a reason. Judges expect to be told where within the range a party says the case falls and why.

The strength of the compensatory claim, the recipient’s realistic prospects of becoming self-sufficient, age, health, the property division that accompanied the separation, debt, the payor’s ability to pay, and any obligations to a second family.

A lump sum is neither deductible to the payor nor taxable to the recipient, whereas periodic support is both. The two therefore cannot be compared without doing the tax arithmetic, and a lump sum figure will always look smaller than the equivalent stream. Lump sums also end the matter, which is an advantage or a disadvantage depending on which side you are on.

Yes. A review clause allows reconsideration at a defined trigger without proving anything. A variation requires a material change in circumstances — job loss, a substantial income change, retirement, or a recipient becoming self-sufficient. Retiring early and voluntarily in order to reduce support is not treated sympathetically.